I recently experienced the end to a major irony in my life. When I was a kid, almost every vehicle my father purchased was a Toyota. Most of them were Cressidas. He also bought 4Runners and Tacomas. I grew up hearing him regularly praise their durability, which he continues to do to this day. My first car was a Toyota (surprise, surprise - it was a Cressida!). I credit my dad for my lifelong love of automobiles and respect for products from the Japanese manufacturer.
However, since this April, when I started getting the keys to press loaners, I haven't spent any time behind the wheel of a mass-market Toyota media tester. (I've driven the TRD Pro variations of the Tundra and 4Runner, but I consider those niche offerings.) The automaker recently changed that by inviting me to sample its new Yaris, Camry, and Sienna models at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
I arrived at around 9:15 a.m. after almost four hours on the road from the city of Kyle. The stadium's River Club room provided a toasty, welcome refuge from the near-freezing temperatures outside. While devouring a mercifully warm breakfast of crispy bacon and scrambled eggs, I listened to a presentation covering each model - all of which are mid-cycle refreshes - from a few of Toyota's representatives. (I haven't had the pleasure of driving the previous iterations of them, so all I can evaluate the new versions on is how they felt to me, not on how much I think Toyota has improved them.)
Some of the words thrown around during the Yaris portion of the talking-up session were "energy," "agility," and "quieter." Then it was time for me to find out which words the hatchback would bring to my mind. I put on my coat, scarf, trapper hat, and gloves and went out to the Corolla Red Stadium West Lot. Toyota and its fleet management company STI gave me and my fellow writers the choice of taking any model out for a 15-, 30-, or 50-minute drive.
I chose a blue Yaris for a half-hour journey down city streets and back roads. You can get the 2015 Yaris with three or five doors and a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic in one of three trim levels: L, LE, or SE. Prices start at $14,845. The top-tier SE is available for as little as $16,820 (with five doors and the five-speed manual gearbox). My SE tester had a four-speed auto, which bumps up the MSRP by $800.
Once I was seated in it, I discovered the side windows were wide and offered plenty of outward visibility. The door sill was slightly too high on which to comfortably rest my elbow for cruising. On the other hand, I found the car's 1.5-liter I4 to be peppy in the delivery of its 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque. The SE's four-wheel disc brakes were well-tuned and engaged early on in the left pedal's travel.
Whether I was stopping or going, I couldn't ignore how noisy the new Yaris was. Its engine sounded coarse and unrefined. The P195/50VR16 tires roared. Wind whipped loudly against the outside of the greenhouse. All of this occurred despite Toyota installing acoustic windshield glass, sound-absorbing and -insulating materials, floor tunnel silencers, and under-hood insulators. The next time I'm in my friend Dan's older Yaris, I'll have to see if I can tell whether or not those changes made a big difference.
The people who designed the newest Yaris certainly made one. There's no denying the car, whose looks were conceived in Toyota’s ED2 design studio in the South of France, stands out, thanks to the X shape to its front end styling and its oversized mesh grille. In all honesty, I don't love the combination. It makes me think of an alien's face. However, I can't say it makes for a boring, nondescript sight.
Fuel economy figures of 30 city, 36 highway, and 32 combined (for Yaris models built with the four-speed auto) are certainly pleasing to the eye, but I believe if Toyota uses more modern transmissions, such as six-cog automatics and manuals, those numbers will become even more attractive.* Perhaps the next-generation Yaris will get those kinds of gearboxes.
Next up was the Camry SE Hybrid. Toyota says it "went bumper to bumper and floor to roof, changing or re-engineering nearly 2,000 parts" when it redesigned its mid-size sedan for the 2015 model year. The company has been making "green" cars for a while, but it only started offering the sporty SE trim paired with its Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain in mid-2014. The total system output from the combination of a 156-hp, 2.5-liter I4 and a 105 kW electric motor is 200 horsepower. That pairing is good for 40 city, 38 highway, and 40 combined miles per gallon (in SEs and XLEs).**
The electronic continuously variable transmission kept me from getting a sensation of where I was on the power band. (Thank goodness for tachometers.) I was cast into the same sort of limbo earlier this year when I tested the 2014 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, which also uses an eCVT. Both four-doors are equipped with electric power steering. The Camry's had a satisfyingly weighted feel to it at speed and responded swiftly to my inputs. The press release for the newest car states, "Specific suspension tuning, with unique stabilizer bar, absorber valve structure, and control arm bushing components, make this one fun-loving hybrid sedan." My biggest take-away from the underpinnings was that they soaked up bumps well - and I encountered plenty of those on my 30-minute drive.
When my right hand wasn't at the 2-o'clock position, it was usually adjusting the radio's volume or the HVAC's fan speed. The controls were easy to reach and allowed me to quickly make changes on the fly so I could get back to focusing completely on my driving. One thing that did distract me was the fact that the Camry was so much quieter - in terms of wind, road, and engine noise - than the Yaris. Then again, it should've been, given the larger vehicle's more prestigious position in Toyota's lineup.
I looked forward to driving every car at the stadium, but the only one in which I wanted to ride was the 2015 Toyota Sienna. Why? At least one of them in the parking lot (a Limited model) had ottoman-style second-row Lounge Seating.
Before I indulged in that, I took one of the minivans for a 50-minute spin. Like the Camry SE Hybrid, it handled imperfections in the road with aplomb and grace. Its cabin was a serene place to be. Noise levels were pleasantly low. The shifter for the six-speed automatic was quickly accessible. I also thought the brown leather seating surfaces were handsome.
Some of the things Toyota added to its "Swagger Wagon" for 2015 include: a Driver Easy Speak option that allows you to communicate to back seat passengers using the van's built-in microphone and rear speakers, a revised grille, visually tweaked headlights and taillights for certain trim lines, a stiffer platform which incorporates more spot welds, a new multi-information display in the instrument panel, and a 30-percent larger side curtain airbag coverage area.
Once I returned to the stadium, one of my colleagues in the Texas Auto Writers Association, Tabetha, who was previously riding in the middle row, switched places with me. Huzzah! I extended the foot rest of my seat and stretched my legs. Even though my feet ended up hanging off the end (I'm 5'10"), my enthusiasm didn't lessen. My mother has always wanted to take a van to visit her sister in Kentucky and I think all five feet of her would be comfortable - and would fit easily - in one of the second row's captain's chairs. I have a feeling I would be quite comfortable covering hundreds of miles in one of these. If my mom, brother, and niece and I end up going to visit my aunt next Christmas, I'm going to try to get my hands on one of these for the trip north. We would have plenty of space because these vans can fit as many as eight passengers. If I were to land a front-wheel-drive Sienna, I would be getting 25 mpg on the highway (and 18 in the city).*** Putting one under the tree would cost a minimum of $28,600 (for a seven-passenger L model).
The last Toyota I drove was the Camry XSE V6. Consider it the new pinnacle of Camry sportiness. It starts at $31,370. According to the Japanese automaker, the XSE has "model-specific 18-inch wheels, higher rate coil springs, unique shock absorbers with internal rebound springs, firmer bushings and unique electric power steering tuning. The wheels carry meaty 225/45R18 all season tires." Designers gave the XSE bold, aggressive lines, which are most apparent up front. That gaping piano-black maw you see above is more eye-pleasing on the Camry than it is on the Yaris and looks as if it's on a mission to gather air to cool the 268-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 under the hood. On the Dallas North Tollway, I gave that engine a chance to shine. It didn't blow me away, but it didn't disappoint me. Acceleration was respectable. So are EPA ratings of 21 city, 31 highway, and 25 combined miles per gallon for V6 Camrys.** Coming to a stop was an odd experience, though. The brake pedal had a noticeable dead zone and a stiffness when I first stepped on it. Once I got passed that, things were normal. I can't recall going through something like that in another test vehicle.
Just as my time at Toyota Stadium marked the end of an irony in my life, 3 p.m. marked the end of my time driving the automaker's newest offerings. Given how much Toyota has revised them, it's now clear to me that I was just beginning to learn about them. If you'd like to educate yourself on the 2015 Yaris, Camry, and/or Sienna, visit the Toyota USA Newsroom.
*2015 manufacturer-estimated EPA MPG estimates. Actual mileage will vary.
**2015 EPA MPG estimates. Actual mileage will vary.
***2014 EPA estimated MPG. Actual mileage will vary.
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